Winnebago Access 31J - Pros and cons?

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dnbrown

dnbrown

Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2010
Posts
5
Hello all,

My wife and I are looking at a Winnebago Access 31J (2008).  We love the unit, but we are new to RVing.  If there are any 31J owners here we would appreciate your feedback on what you love, like, and dislike about the unit.

Thank you....
 
I am the other half and would like to clarify our questions.  We are about to make an offer - so would really appreciate specific feedback on storage.  It seems the 31J has very little outside storage.  Since we are new to RVing -- we are not sure how much is enough storage and if this is a real concern or not.  Has anyone had experience with the 31J and the use of storage or recommendations on how much storage is needed outside?  We are thinking that the things to go outside are small grill, chairs, folding table, tent, cooler, bikes, golf clubs, skiis, wood for fire, perhaps extra paper products or canned goods on longer trips and any water type toys like balls and noodles.  Are we missing things?  Should these fit in that unit?

We really love the bunks and think that would be great for our kids.  Our kids (6 and 10) have definately fallen in love with the bunks.  The Tiago has bunks with tons of storage but has a much higher price.  The Winnegabo 31C seems to be our non bunk option and it has so much storage I wonder if it is too much.

So -- if you have any pointers for some newbies on storage and the 31J -- we would welcome you input.

Thanks,
Angie
 
I don't own your model, but I looked at it at the Winnie site, you may need to add a roof pod to carry a lot of stuff.
J
 
First thing to do is ask what is the Cargo Carrying Capacity (CCC) for the specific Motorhome you are thinking about purchasing. This will tell you how much weight you can safely carry. You may be very surprised on how little your can carry...ask now before you purchase...
 
Unfortunately Winnie seem to have left out the CCC or OCCC info on their specs. I think you will likely have to go through the math using all the required definitions to get anywhere close. Don't forget to add in a fudge figure for the empty tanks as they don't stay empty very long!! Watch out for the new OCCC, it tends to be larger than the old CCC for good reason: it leaves out some of the stuff that the older CCC included.

That said, these small RV's usually do NOT have a good carrying capacity. If you are looking at large items such as bikes, golf clubs, etc, CCC or weight is not the problem, space is.  And what you see is what you get!!!
 
Alfa38User said:
Unfortunately Winnie seem to have left out the CCC or OCCC info on their specs.
Click to expand...

The CCC or OCCC will vary depending on the options - they crank out a unique spec sheet for every unit that roll off the assembly line.
 
My husband asked the dealer for the CCC -- which they said was 2008.  If you subtract 700 for fluids in tanks and 700 for family of 4 with possible dog -- that leaves 608.  Is that a reasonable amount to work with?

Of course we may run into a problem because the dealer solution to space is a tub on the hitch.  We could use that for grill and golf clubs (when desired).  We will also have to account for the weight of a bike rack.

We had decided to pass on this rig - but the dealer keeps calling back -- and we keep spending time on this site and learning more to ask about.  We really appreciate all the great information you all provide.

Thanks,
Angie
 
2,000 pounds for CCC is quite good for the typical weekender and it includes fluids and 150 pounds per seating position (with seatbelts).  I seriously doubt if you go past a ton of CCC in a 31' unit unless you were collecting rocks or depleted uranium.
 
John Canfield said:
2,000 pounds for CCC is quite good for the typical weekender and it includes fluids and 150 pounds per seating position (with seatbelts).  I seriously doubt if you go past a ton of CCC in a 31' unit unless you were collecting rocks or depleted uranium.
Click to expand...

Funny you mention rocks, I brought home some large rocks in my C one time. I could really tell they were on board.
J
 
Thanks everyone for your help so far.  Here is what I learned from the dealer:
GVWR = 14,050 lbs.
  UVW = 12,042 lbs.
              ---------
Capacity  2,008 lbs
Fluids          700 lbs (estimated weight of gas, water (blue, grey, black, propane)
              ---------
                1,308 lbs.
"People"    900 lbs. (estimated 150 lbs times six (6) people)
              ---------
CCC            408 lbs.

Is 408 lbs of CCC enough for a week long trip to the mountains or beach or campsite? 

Thanks, Doug B.
 
Dont carry a full tank of clean water, fill up at your destination that'll give you some more weight to play around with.
 
This might be a good time to look at some 31-34 foot class A's. I've owned a C-/B and a C, you always need more space and CC. When I went to an A, space and CC problems solved.
J
 
I rarely carry more than 10 gal of FW in my tank and always dump before leaving my destination if possible. So with that in mind your CCC will increase a bit but with 6 people you will eat thru that CCC in a hurry, clothing, food, chairs, etc, etc, and the list goes on...

 
Thanks everyone for your help.  We have worked the dealer down to 66k, but still not convinced this is a good deal.  Any opinions?
 
dnbrown said:
Thanks everyone for your help.  We have worked the dealer down to 66k, but still not convinced this is a good deal.  Any opinions?
Click to expand...

The real question is; will this coach work for you? You have to also think long term. Will you need another one in two or three years? The load cap looks tight.
J
 
If you're out for a week, do you really want to pull up cable, sewer, and electric, just to run into Walmart for milk for the kids?  I know a class A looks like a huge investment, but there are some nice 35 foot Adventurers out there that are five or six years old, and in good shape for the same money as the C you're looking at.  I know, we traded one when hubbie went diesel.  We went from a pop-up with no room for four kids, to heaven on earth.  Plus, the MH seems to be a little more sturdier on the inside than the C units we looked at.  You can carry whatever you want (3 bags of clubs, two bikes, road trip grill and smokey joe, noodles, chairs, you name, we found it when we unloaded and moved to the diese)l.  Plus!!!  important plus, you can tow.....boats, cars, a motorcycle trailer, something to get you loose from the campground without unhooking.
Jeanne
 
We are not full timers, but we do spend a great amount of time on the road.  Items we store below:  Water hoses, filters, connectors, etc.  Satellite dish, tripod, and coaxial cables.  Tow bar & associated once parked.  Brooms, window squeegees, etc.  8 X 12 patio mat.  Lawn furniture ( four chairs, a recliner and small table).  Gas grill, stand, and fuel tanks.  Citronella candles and other bug paraphernalia.
Fishing gear. Flag pole and flags.  Extension cords.  Air compressor & tool box.  Sewer connection hoses.  Emergency road kit (flares, etc.).  Chocks, 2X6s and plastic squares to place beneath the jacks on soft ground.  Metal detector.  Large plastic tub containing duct tape, light bulbs, caulk, bungie cords, gloves, funnels, Velcro, WD-40 (lubricant - TOM), etc).  Spare air & oil filters.  Disposable cover-alls, hot dog sticks, etc.

Are you getting the picture?  You need lots of storage.   
 
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